Review of Django (1966) by Libero S — 26 Jan 2015

Django is a landmark in the western genre, although overlooked by many other Spaghetti westerns and other classic American westerns, true fans of the genre will appreciate the greatness of Django.

Django is in my opinion the greatest western of them all, Django played by the great Franco Nero, is a mysterious man who walks into town dragging a coffin behind him. Django is a man who finds himself in the middle of a war between Mexican revolutionaries and Sadists. Django fights for himself siding with neither of the parties.

Many people feel that the film is politically motivated, but I don't like to see the film in a political way, I like seeing it as a film. I see Django as the greatest western off them all (alongside The Wild Bunch) the film is so iconic, the way Django drags his coffin behind him in the mud, the close up shots of Franco Nero's face, the scene where Django shoots and kills many of Major Jackson's with his Gatling gun hidden in his coffin, and the crushing of Django's hands with the butt of a rifle. These stylish moments put together collectively make Django the masterpiece that it is, it is very easy to see how Quentin Tarantino was inspired to make the rather uninspired Django Unchained.

The use of Django's theme song in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is an insult to this 1966 classic masterpiece the only thing that the two movies share is the use of Django's theme song and one of the greatest cameos of all time by Franco Nero other than that, Django(1966) is an innovative memorable picture and Unchained(2012) is a far too cartoonish and over the top movie.

Overall the movie is one of the greatest films I've ever seen, the acting is masterful, the plot is simple but is backed by an atmospheric setting, there is plenty of action (needed in westerns, very anti-High Noon), the film is thought provoking and stylish, masterpiece.